What is your service doing to attract applicants?

MMiz

MMiz

I put the M in EMTLife
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With a national shortage of EMS providers, what is your service doing to attract candidates?

Pay raises? Sign on bonuses?
 
10K sign on bonus but I think that may stop offering it at the end of the month.
 
Fire trucks and a pension. Still not working though, when every department in the area is hiring for way more pay and a better retirement.
 
They were offering $7k sign on bonus AFTER I got hired. I am bummed I missed out on that, but happy I got the job and location. My previous employer is offering $15k. Otherwise not much more I think?
 
jgmedic said:
Fire trucks and a pension. Still not working though, when every department in the area is hiring for way more pay and a better retirement.
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I’d say better pay and schedule. Can’t beat lifetime medical that you get with the state.
 
CALEMT said:
I’d say better pay and schedule. Can’t beat lifetime medical that you get with the state.
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until the next administration eliminates that perk... as happened to us a few years ago...
 
DrParasite said:
until the next administration eliminates that perk... as happened to us a few years ago...
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They can do that... in 30 years when I'm retired.

In all seriousness, thats realistically the only thing keeping me working in CA.
 
Best pay in the county with nearly free insurance (4% of premium), pension, and big red trucks. New people go to a “top” fire academy, free paramedic school for those that want it. Our new chief scrapped our hiring of “experienced” paramedics for single role positions that came with the firefighter/paramedics pay and benefits.

Still only had 97 applicants for our two spots, I’d have guessed many more. But everyone’s hiring and we’re far from the best paying on the front range.

AMR here is offering a 5k sign on bonus to paramedics and a new wage of 22/hr.

Mountain job won’t get with the times and is struggling for applicants.
 
Arctan said:
16 year olds can apply
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I'm assuming/hoping you are talking about volunteers right?

As for the original question:

my former agency in NJ has increased starting salaries by almost $5 an hour since I was there (TT1825: Probationary Rate: $22.99/hr.; Job Rate: $23.49/hr.; Two Year Rate:$24.20/hr.)

They have also created an apprentice program, for new EMTs who want to be there, and pay more than I was starting at ( $18.14/hr.; Job Rate:$18.64/hr.; Two Year Rate:$19.20/hr.)

They have also raised their full time paramedic rates to over 30hr.

My former employers in NC haven't done anything, and they are desperate for qualified people. turnover is absurdly high, trucks go OOS daily due to lack of staffing, 20 minute responses are not uncommon, and they can't get people cleared fast enough. Apparently they, too, have started an apprentice program, to get more paramedics in house.

TBH, every so often I think about going back to working on the ambulance part time... just for extra money... but in the end, I realize it's not worth it for me to do so
 
DrParasite said:
I'm assuming/hoping you are talking about volunteers right?

As for the original question:

my former agency in NJ has increased starting salaries by almost $5 an hour since I was there (TT1825: Probationary Rate: $22.99/hr.; Job Rate: $23.49/hr.; Two Year Rate:$24.20/hr.)

They have also created an apprentice program, for new EMTs who want to be there, and pay more than I was starting at ( $18.14/hr.; Job Rate:$18.64/hr.; Two Year Rate:$19.20/hr.)

They have also raised their full time paramedic rates to over 30hr.

My former employers in NC haven't done anything, and they are desperate for qualified people. turnover is absurdly high, trucks go OOS daily due to lack of staffing, 20 minute responses are not uncommon, and they can't get people cleared fast enough. Apparently they, too, have started an apprentice program, to get more paramedics in house.

TBH, every so often I think about going back to working on the ambulance part time... just for extra money... but in the end, I realize it's not worth it for me to do so
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Yeah, Volunteers, sadly for me.
 
MMiz said:
With a national shortage of EMS providers, what is your service doing to attract candidates?

Pay raises? Sign on bonuses?
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We are offering a $15K sign-on bonus for medics, and a full-ride paramedic scholarship to school of their choice for EMTs.
 
I'm having the hardest time hiring EMTs. I need four, Monday through Friday, 8 hour shifts, $1K sign on bonus., $18.50/hr (which is good for our area - or at least I thought).
 
Chimpie: can you raise the sign on bonus? Because $1K doesn't make it worth it for anyone to move there
Start a EMT B program for HS students so that when they turn 18 they are EMT-B's, and can start working right away? PT or PRN until they graduate. Then FT, experience already.
Retention bonus for people to stay. $1K at 1 year, $2,500 at 2 years, etc. better to keep good people than try and replace them every year or 2.
Bonuses for people who refer: $1K for a new person, and $1K for the person who refers them, then $1K each at the end of 1 year.
 
johnrsemt said:
Chimpie: can you raise the sign on bonus? Because $1K doesn't make it worth it for anyone to move there
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Yeah, I'm pitching it again to have this raised, as well as the starting wage. I'd love to have the starting wage be $20/hr. and the hiring bonus be $1K after 90 days, another $1,500 after a year. Right now it's an up hill battle.
 
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Well, for the fun job, we pay people to ski, they get to throw bombs, and we're a first in, primarily trauma agency, but it is still getting competitive. Local ambulance companies are in to the $20/hour+ with up to 6k bonuses. It's getting crazy out there...
 
For the flight job we are not having an issue with staffing in my area. One of our states is offering up to $10k bonus. We also have some nationwide traveling positions that are offering $30k sign on bonus for a 12-16 month contract.
 
I saw online that nurses are making bank these days. Massive sign on bonuses, often double their hourly rate, and hundreds of dollars for picking up OT shifts in addition to overtime.

Just a semester or more of school beyond most medic programs.
 
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